Please, Sir. We Want Some More 'Oliver!'

Consider yourselves part of the world of Oliver Twist as you follow the story of an orphan looking for his place in Avon High School's production of "Oliver!"

The show opens Friday and runs through May 5.

Director Jill Paterson said that "Oliver!" was recommended to her for her first spring musical at the high school because the parts for the show fit with the talent in the theatre department.

"I also wanted to choose a classic for my first musical - something people might be familiar with, interested in seeing, and that would make people hum the tunes on the way home," Paterson said. 

When Oliver, played by Stephanie Evans, utters the famous line to Mr. Bumble at the orphanage, "Please, sir. I want some more," he addresses a hunger that goes beyond food. He will begin a quest for love and family, facing cruelty and misguidance along the way.

Oliver becomes enthralled with the life of a pickpocket after befriending The Artful Dodger (Kylie Whalen).

Paterson said that "these girls were able to take on more masculine characters once they got excellent wigs and the right clothes/costumes."

"Oliver is such a young boy that a girl with a short-haired look can easily take on the mannerisms required," Paterson said. "The girl playing Dodger (Kylie Whalen) magically transformed into a slightly older, waggish boy once we got her that fantastic wig and those adorable ruffian costume pieces.  Luckily, for all the roles that required male actors, we had all the right male actors show up for auditions!"

Casting girls for two of the male leads, as well as orphans and pickpockets in a show of mostly male characters, also meant teaching them to move like boys.

"When I was choreographing, I kept that in mind," choreographer Terri Schulman of Canton, said. "It was a challenge to choreograph as if they're boys not girls."

Student Ruy Zambrano, who played Mr. Sowerberry and the night watchman, also assisted Schulman with the choreography as dance captain for the show. 

Another challenge for the actors was speaking in British accents, either refined for wealthy characters or more harsh and punctuated for the lower class personas. Paterson, who follows the practice of method acting, would often speak to the cast in a British accent. She also worked with the actors on their accents during free periods if needed.

That work particularly shined in characters like Oliver, Dodger, Mrs. Sowerberry (Olivia Murphy), Fagin (Thomas teGroen) and the energetic Nancy (Rachel Oremland), as well as many others, including more minor characters with a few lines.

"Thomas teGroen (Fagin) even stayed in character during a recent field trip to London!" Paterson said of the student who played the sneaky yet lovable adult leader of the pickpockets.

Schulman said that music director David Raposo suggested opening the show up to Avon Middle School and Thompson Brook School students to play orphans when more people were needed. It might be the first time in awhile that the high school has had younger kids in the cast, Schulman said. 

"This show needed to have an energized opening scene with several orphans, and the younger students have helped us create the atmosphere of a crowded 1830s English workhouse orphanage with children of varying ages," Paterson said.

Off-stage, the pit orchestra sets the mood for scenes with its music and Avon High School's highly experienced stage crew play a major role in the sound and lighting elements that accent the production. Sarah Keller serves as assistant director.

Production Designer Ken Jones, of Canton, Ralph Torrone and the student crew built the set, which includes a high-rise platform that runs the width of the stage. It is used for bridge scenes and helps create the illusion of distance when characters are traveling or looking out the window. There are also holes and nooks for the pickpockets to crawl out of on the underbelly of the bridge. 

The cast includes a strong ensemble. Through facial expressions, reactions and movement as others talk, each actor has created a character for themselves, enabling them to bring "Oliver!" to life as a community in the orphanage, pub and pickpocket scenes.

The large dance numbers include a lot of fancy footwork and some lifts.  Schulman said she also tried to "showcase as many kids as I could" in the dancing.

Speaking of kids, parents take note. The show is kid-friendly overall, but the storyline does include a couple deaths (not shown on stage), violence and a gunshot sound effect. Paterson said that she'll leave it up to parents to use their judgement about whether they want to bring their kids. Most of violence is relayed in words. There are some fight sequences, but they are choreographed in a way that it's apparent the actors are not getting hurt in real life.

"There are some references to violence between Bill Sykes and Nancy," Paterson said. "We have been careful with the violence to make sure it's discreet."

While the show deals with tragedy, Paterson said that she also hopes that the audience connects with its message of hope. Despite the harsh times Oliver experiences, Paterson said that other characters show him "love and compassion" and the "kindness in humans," such as Dodger, Mr. Sowerberry, Mr. Brownlow (Robert Chamberlain) and Mrs. Bedwin (Emily Giarratana). 

"It is my hope that people will feel their hearts open a bit wider and want to demonstrate kindness to others - perhaps even our modern-day Olivers," Paterson said.

The Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday's matinee begins at 2 p.m. Advance tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for senior citizens and students. Tickets at the door are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Priority or reserved seating is $20. For more information call 860-404-4745.

Click here to view the program for the show and see who else is involved!